What’s your municipality’s snow-removal policy? Find out here

Now that we’ve had yet another snowstorm dump more of the white stuff on our streets and sidewalks, it seems like a good time to revisit a few of the snow...

shoveling

Author: Keith Schweigert (FOX43)

Published: 1:33 PM EST March 4, 2019

Updated: 1:33 PM EST March 4, 2019

Now that we’ve had yet another snowstorm dump more of the white stuff on our streets and sidewalks, it seems like a good time to revisit a few of the snow-removal ordinances in cities, towns, and municipalities across Central Pennsylvania.

This is by no means a complete list of ordinances. To find out if your borough or township has a snow-removal policy, call the township or consult its homepage.

“Property owners are required to clear their sidewalks and the openings to any crosswalks of snow and ice within five hours of the end of the snow. If the snow ends overnight, the property owner has until 10 am. Do not shovel snow into the street.

If there is a fire hydrant or storm drain in front of or near your property, please clear them.

Please be considerate of your neighbors. Have a neighbor who’s not home, elderly or handicapped? Please take some time and help them out with this task.”

“Each tenant, owner, or person in charge of any property fronting on or adjoining any street in the borough of Columbia shall clear a pathway of at least three feet in width on the sidewalk in front of or adjoining such property within 24 hours after the snow…has ceased to fall. The snow cleared from the pathway shall not be deposited in the street after the street has been plowed.”

It shall be the joint and several responsibility of the owner, occupant and tenant of every property fronting upon and alongside of any of the streets in the Borough of Lititz to remove or cause to be removed all snow from the sidewalks fronting and alongside such property within 24 hours after the snow shall have ceased to fall.

Each owner, tenant or person in charge of any property fronting on or adjoining any street in the Borough of Lititz shall clear a pathway of at least five feet in width on the sidewalk(s) in front of or adjoining such property.

In the event that snow on the sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be removed without likelihood of damage to the sidewalk, the person charged with its removal shall, within the time mentioned in Subsection A hereof, cause enough abrasive to be put on the sidewalk to make travel safe; and shall, as soon thereafter as weather permits, cause to be cleared a path on said sidewalk at least five feet in width.

The owner, tenant or person shall prevent the falling of snow and/or ice from all buildings on their property adjacent to public sidewalks.

It shall be the joint and several responsibility of the owner, occupant and tenant of every property which has a hydrant located on or adjacent to the property boundary to remove snow, ice and other formed precipitation from the hydrant and area within a two-foot radius of the hydrant within 24 hours after the snow shall have ceased to fall.

It shall be the joint and several responsibility of the owner, occupant and tenant of every corner property where there exists a handicap ramp from the public sidewalk to the street to remove snow from the ramp at least three feet in width within 24 hours after the snow shall have ceased to fall. The responsible party shall maintain the surface of the ramp and remove any further snow that may be plowed, pushed or otherwise deposited onto the travel width of the ramp.”

The owner, occupant or tenant of every property in the Borough located upon or alongside any part of any street having a sidewalk shall remove or have removed from all sidewalks in front of or alongside that property, so as to provide a clear and safe passage on the sidewalk for pedestrians, all snow and ice fallen or formed upon that sidewalk within 24 hours after the snow or ice has ceased to fall or to form.

The owner, occupant or tenant of every property in the Borough shall be required to keep the sidewalk, curb and/or gutter in front of or alongside that property at all times clear of litter, which shall mean any waste or unused products or material, including but not limited to garbage, refuse, rubbish and trash.

The owner of a property shall be responsible for conforming to the requirements of this section where the property is occupied by the owner or is unoccupied; the tenant or occupant shall be responsible where the property is occupied by that tenant or occupant only; and the owner shall be responsible where the property is a multiple-business or multiple-dwelling property occupied by more than one tenant or occupant.

No person shall deposit or cause to be deposited any snow or ice on or immediately next to a fire hydrant or on any sidewalk, roadway or loading and unloading area of the public streets, except that snow and ice may be mounded by Millersville Borough on public cartways incident to the cleaning thereof or mounded on curbs.”

WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP

Snow or ice must be cleared within 24 hours of a storm ending. Snow or ice that cannot easily be removed should be treated with sand or other abrasive material. Residents who do not comply can be charged for the township to clear their property and can be fined between $50 and $1,000.

“Residents are reminded that sidewalks must be cleared within twenty-four hours after the cessation of a snowfall or a rain or ice storm. A path of three feet in width, running the entire length of the sidewalk and that portion of the curb cut that is considered part of the sidewalk must be cleared. Snow cleared from the sidewalk and/or parking area shall not be deposited into the plowed traveled portion of the street. Persons violating the snow removal regulations are subject to a fine of not less than $50.00 nor more than $300.00 for each offense.”

Residents and property owners are reminded that the Property Maintenance Code requires that snow and ice be removed from sidewalks within twelve (12) hours of the end of the precipitation. A sufficient amount of snow and ice must be removed to leave a cleared pathway at least thirty-six (36”) inches in width for the entire length of the sidewalk in front of and abutting the property.

On sidewalks less than thirty-six (36”) in width, a path must be cleared that allows one (1) pedestrian to pass at a time. Additionally, snow and ice that is removed from a sidewalk or other property may not be deposited into the roadway. Property Maintenance Inspectors will be patrolling the City to ensure that snow and ice have been removed.

If you have a neighbor or family member that is unable to clear their walks we encourage you to assist them.

It shall be the duty of every owner or occupier of real estate within the Borough of Dallastown to remove or have removed from the sidewalks in front of such real estate all snow and ice within 12 hours after any fall of snow or ice storm or freezing rain ceases or notice so to do is given by Borough authorities.

Residents are reminded that sidewalks must be cleared of snow and/or ice to a width of 36″ no later than 12 hours after it stops snowing.

We also ask our residents to please keep storm drains and fire hydrants clear of snow.

Red Lion Borough is responsible for maintaining approximately 28 miles of streets and alleys.

We are not responsible for winter maintenance on state roads.

We own a fleet of various equipment used for clearing snow and ice from all Borough roads and alleys. East and West Broadway, East and West High Streets, North and South Main Streets and Country Club Road are STATE roads. PennDOT is responsible for deicing and plowing them. Please contact the local PennDOT maintenance office at 717-848-6230 if you have a problem with one of these roads.

The owners, tenants, occupiers and all others having charge, control or supervision of any vacant lots, lands, houses, stores, buildings, and all other premises fronting on any public street or highway in the City shall clean or remove, or cause to be cleaned or removed, from the sidewalk in front of or along the subject property and from a structure’s primary point of egress to the public sidewalk in a continuous path not less than two feet six inches in width all the snow, ice, hail, or sleet thereon fallen or formed within 24 hours after the same shall have ceased to fall or to be formed.

The ice to be removed as required herein is such as may be formed into ridges or mounds or is of such formation as to be an obstruction and renders the sidewalk dangerous to public travel. In addition to the penalties imposed by Chapter 3-399, Penalty, whoever violates this section shall be liable for all damages sustained by any person by reason of the neglect or failure of such owner, tenant, occupier or other person to comply with the provisions of this chapter.

Every owner, occupant, lessee, tenant or other person in charge of any building or lot of ground in the Borough of Camp Hill which abuts any street along which the sidewalk is paved shall, within eight hours after snow has ceased to fall or after the deposit of any dirt or debris upon the sidewalk or gutter, remove the snow or ice from the sidewalk to its entire length and to a width of at least three feet or remove the dirt or debris from the gutter, the hours between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. not being included in the computation of the above period of eight hours.
§ 176-7. Alternatives when removal not possible.

In case snow and ice on the sidewalk shall be frozen to the extent that the removal thereof would result in property damage, the owner, occupant, lessee, tenant or other person in charge may, within the time specified in § 176-6, cause the sidewalk to be strewn with ashes, sand, sawdust or some suitable chemical compound and shall, as soon thereafter as the weather reasonably permits, remove said snow and ice.

Should snow, ice, dirt and debris not be removed as aforesaid, the appropriate Borough officers of the Borough of Camp Hill may cause the same to be removed as the abatement of a nuisance and may collect the cost thereof, together with a penalty of 10% of such cost, in the manner provided by law for the collection of municipal claims or by action of assumpsit or may seek relief by bill in equity.

The owner, occupant or tenant of every property fronting upon or alongside any street in the Borough of Chambersburg is hereby required to remove or cause to be removed for a width of at least four feet from the inside pavement line from all of the sidewalks in front of or alongside of such property all snow, hail, sleet or ice thereon fallen or formed within 24 hours after the same shall have ceased to fall or form. The foregoing notwithstanding, at all times during or after any snow event, it shall be unlawful for any person to shovel, push, throw or plow snow, hail, sleet or ice from a sidewalk, driveway, lot or any other area into a Borough road, street, or alley.

In case hail, sleet or ice shall be frozen so hard that it cannot be removed without injury to the sidewalk, it shall be the duty of the occupant, tenant or owner to sprinkle the same with sand, ashes, sawdust, or other suitable material that will make such sidewalk safe for the public, and whenever weather conditions permit, such hail, sleet or ice shall be removed by such owner, tenant or occupant.

The owner of a property shall be responsible for conforming to the requirements of this article where such property is occupied by such owner or is unoccupied; the tenant or occupier thereof where the property is controlled by such tenant or occupier; and the owner thereof where the property is a multiple-business or multiple-dwelling property, occupied by more than one tenant or occupier (i.e., the sidewalk in such case is a common area shared by tenants and the public but it is the responsibility of the owner to remove ice or snow).

The owner, occupant or tenant of every property abutting upon or alongside any street or alley in the Borough of Carlisle is hereby required to remove or cause to be removed from all the sidewalks in front of or abutting upon such property all snow and ice thereon fallen or formed within 24 hours after the same shall have fallen or formed. Such sidewalks shall be cleared entirely of snow and ice or for a width of four feet, whichever shall be less, and the snow and ice removed therefrom shall not be placed upon the street on which such property fronts or abuts. The owner of a property shall be responsible for conforming to the requirements of this section where such property shall be occupied by such owner, shall be vacant or unoccupied or shall be a multiple-unit property having more than one tenanted or tenantable unit; the tenant or occupier of a property shall be so responsible where such property is a single-unit property occupied by such tenant or occupier only.

In any case where the owner, occupant or tenant, as aforesaid, shall fail, neglect or refuse to comply with the provisions above within the time limit prescribed therein, the Borough authorities may proceed immediately to clear all snow and/or ice from the sidewalk of such delinquent and to collect the expenses thereof, with an additional amount of 10% thereof, from such owner, occupant or tenant, as the case may be, which may be in addition to any fine or penalty imposed below.

Any owner, occupant or tenant who shall fail to remove any snow or ice from any sidewalk as required shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000, together with costs of prosecution, and, in default thereof, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 30 days.

The owner, occupant or tenant, of every property fronting upon or alongside any street in the Borough, shall remove or have removed from all sidewalks fronting upon or alongside that property, so as to leave a cleared path for pedestrians at least two and one-half feet (2 ½’) wide, all snow and ice, within twenty-four (24) hours after the snow or ice has ceased to fall or to be formed upon the sidewalk.